Everyone has free speech

It’s no secret that words spoken in jest often represent the speaker’s true feelings. 

And I think this is the case with the Proud Boys’ roast of Kamala Harris on the
campus of the University of South Carolina in Columbia. 

On Sept. 18, the USC Chapter of an organization called Uncensored
America will hold what they’re calling a “comedy roast” of Vice President
Kamala Harris (sexually explicit/offensive content on the banner for the event has
been hidden), Columbia’s WOLO television news reported. 

The group turned the first three letters of “Kamala” into something vulgar. I certainly don’t see any humor in that.

Scheduled speakers for the event are Milo Yiannopoulos — a far right political
commentator and Gavin McInnes — the founder of the Proud Boys, which the
Anti-Defamation League has labeled a white supremacist group. 

Allowing speakers of this ilk on the campus and allowing them to use the
university facilities may be lawful, but it is not good sense.

It’s not good for minority or any other marginalized community on campus, former Alumna Courtney McClain told the WOLO reporter.

McClain also “started a petition protesting the event. His initial goal was 1,000 signatures, in less than a week there were more than 15,000 signatures.

Gov. Henry McMaster has a different perspective.

“The university does not have the right to cancel speech,” McMaster said. The
only exception, unless the speech would directly cause harm to others.

Despite McInnes sparking controversy, legal experts explain that legally, the
university stepping in to stop the event could open up the floodgates of lawsuits
against the school.

The organizers would like nothing better than to have the event canceled because
then they will be able to claim truthfully that their speech was censored,” said
South Carolina Press Association attorney Jay Bender.

Bender further explained that in the event the university stopped the roast, USC
would be liable under federal civil rights laws that protect hate speech under the
first amendment.

McInnes insists he will not be the one bringing the hate to the event.

“If you’re looking for violence you’re looking on the wrong side of the political
spectrum. The left are the violent ones. They burnt down this country for two years
straight. We had one riot on Jan. 6,” he said.

When asked what he hoped would come out of the event, McInnes said, “It won’t
exactly be like the classic roast you see in Comedy Central. We’re just going to
make fun of what could be the worst president in American history.”

McInnes already has jokes, when most right thinking people can agree that Donald
Trump is the poster boy for “worst president” after he treated the office like a game
show.

His favorite words seemed to have been, “You’re fired.” Come election time, the voters essentially told Trump, “You’re fired!”

His response to losing the election was his Jan. 6 call for his followers to attack
the Capitol.

We already know that he doesn’t play fair. So, instead of mocking and vulgarizing Vice President Harris’ first name, Yiannopoulos and McInnes could best use the time before the election to prepare their Chosen One for Election Day 2024.

Trump is going to lose again. But this time will be different.

Don’t expect a former prosecutor/ state Attorney General and a coach to play around. For them it will be business as usual. Their records show they always play to win.